Magical Strike To The Heart!
by RunnyBabbits
Summary: Although still very young, Arthur Kirkland has accepted that he enjoys the simpler joys of life. With the addition of Alfred however, that won't be allowed. The man has too much charisma, and Arthur soon finds himself helpless to his fate that is more than what a mere salaryman should have been exploited to. It doesn't help that those around them enjoy pushing them together.
1. Chapter 1: Allies!

Magical Strike Au Chapter 1: ** _Allies!_**

Arthur Kirkland never did have the patience with anyone who decided to dress up, kick back, and not work whenever possible.

He sighed, forced to look at the Frenchman in front of him who was smiling proudly of his idiotic plan.

"So what you're telling me," Arthur said slowly. He was on lunch break; he could take as much time as he wanted. "Is that you think by talking to the company executives about raising wages as the year end incentive, it will create a business expansion because everyone supposedly will work better with that in mind, _and_ you will stop using your Strike?"

"For awhile, yes." Magical Strike shrugged carelessly, still smiling.

Arthur's eyebrows twitched. What an irritatingly specific answer. "You know, if you worked a month without a strike, you'd see that you can do just fine."

"I'm not Lars, you know."

"I realize," Arthur said dryly as he finished the last of his tea. "Alright then. If it means you'll stop wearing that unsightly dress, I'll consider talking to the boss about it."

"Merci, Arthur! I knew you would come around to my side eventually." Magical Strike reached out to tap his wand on the salaryman's head. He was stubborn, and it wasn't easy to get this workaholic on his side. Even if they had know each other since they were _petits enfants._

"Who said anything about going to your side, Francis?" Arthur asked exasperatedly. "I'm just tired of seeing you in that silly getup, waving your wand around shamelessly." He looked pointedly at the frilly pink outfit the other had donned.

"Ah, there's one more thing I wanted to tell you!" Francis ignored the biting comment from the salaryman and brought his wand back to his side. "You are coming to my home party right? I invited the boss too!"

"So I heard. Why?"

"It's to create better business relations. I think she wants us to feel guilty and not ask for higher wages. As if that could ever happen!" Francis said proudly. If only he could show that same enthusiasm during work everyday. "So you will come right? Tu vas t'amuser!"

"Sorry, but I, unlike some people, want to sit down with a cup of tea and a book with my cat."

Magical Strike pouted. "Don't be such a partypooper, Arthur. I said I'll stop wearing this outfit, but if you come, I'll stop wearing this outfit for a week."

The salaryman perked up. Now that sounded like a good deal.

"Fine," he muttered. "But you had better remember what you said!"

Knowing he had won the Englishman over, Magical Strike did a twirl in his outfit, grinning. "It's going to be très bien! Ive been saving up for some good wine too!"

"Yeah, yeah." Arthur said. "I still wonder why you want me to come. Are you pulling some sort of prank?"

"Oh come on, you'll be here for awhile. Better enjoy France while you can." Francis said. "We're friends so it'd be strange for you not to come." As an afterthought, he added, "and maybe Big Brother can get you some new friends."

"What?"

"No~thing. Anyway, it'll be fun!"

"I'm only here for business because of someone." Arthur grumbled. Ah well, Francis mentioned good wine. That was something to look forward to, if anything.

Francis ignored the biting comment, knowing he had already won and this salaryman would definitely come.

"You know when, correct?"

"Yes, yes, now get back to work. Like I said, I'll talk to tomorrow."

* * *

 **Author's note** -

Tu vas t'amuser- You're going to enjoy yourself

I wanted to do something with Magical Strike since it was ridiculous, but it interested me all the same.

Next chapter will be longer, and there will be a new chapter every week (hopefully). Thoughts, predictions at what'll happen at the home party?


	2. Chapter 2: Party!

Magical Strike Au Chapter 2: _**Party!**_

Francis's house was decorated surprisingly well, to Arthur's surprise. The front yard was well lit for anyone attending, and inside, there was a chandelier in the living room where extra chairs had been pulled out. Already, there were people seated and laughing.

There were also some bottles on the table. Knowing Francis's taste in wine, each one should contain something palatable.

Before he could reach for a bottle and a glass however, said person approached him frantically. Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I thought you'd stop wearing that thing for a week," he quipped when Francis was near enough to hear him.

Francis pouted. "It took you long enough to come. And I WAS wearing something bland and ordinary, but then…" He trailed off, poking his fingers at each other.

"But then what?" Arthur demanded. "What could possibly have been good enough of an excuse to dress up in that silly thing again?"

"But then something came up and I had to transform." Francis said, looking a bit nervous. "And I need your help."

Arthur sighed petulantly. Why was he surprised Francis had dragged himself into something even at his own party?

Arthur drummed his fingers on the table. "So what came up?"

Francis cleared his throat and struck a pose. "For the sake of peace and higher wages," he turned his head to Arthur, eyes sparkling. "We must teach the company president's son-who has come to the party completely uninvited- to be aware of the hardships of the world and make him go away before he destroys the party!"

Francis grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Seriously, help me with this," he pleaded. "I'll go a month without using my magic!"

"Considering what happened the last time you said you'd so something-"

"Arthur, this is an emergency. You must help me on this one! It's for the sake of everyone here!" Francis exclaimed.

"Fine," Arthur muttered. "But you better remember our deal and work tomorrow."

Francis beamed. "Will do. Now, here's the plan. You see that guy over there?"

Arthur turned his head to look at who Francis was pointing to.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Francis spoke into his **Magical Strike!** speaker. "In honor of overturning the shutdown, tonight, I have called you outside for a show I've prepared! I will play Magical Strike, Arthur will play the Strike Fairy, and a special guest will play Mr. Villain! Enjoy~!"

Arthur face palmed. How did he let himself get convinced into this again? Not to mention he was supposed to be facing off the company president's son.

"Hahahaha!" A cheerful and loud rather than sinister laugh rang out. A young man stepped out from the shadows. He wasn't bad looking, Arthur could agree, but his fashion sense was atrocious. What was with that spiky black overcoat? Or that star on his cheek, or that purple streak across his hair? Maybe if he had been younger, he would have liked it, but the image looked dreadful, albeit adorably childish. Arthur mentally slapped himself.

The guy stopped laughing. "I have an idea! Instead of raising wages, why don't I stop giving out paid holidays?!"

Was that an American accent?

Magical Strike held a hand up, talking into his speaker."Well then you'll have to stop right there, Mr. I'm-the-hero-and-don't-have-to-work! Magical Strike and Strike Fairy are here to teach you the stress of working!" He grinned. "We'll stop you!"

"Oh? What are you going to do, Magical Strike?" The villain asked, narrowing his blue eyes, smiling.

"I will send in Strike Fairy!" said Magical Strike. He then turned to look at Arthur pointedly, eyes still sparkling. Arthur tried to stop his own eyes from rolling. He pointed his wand at the too happy looking villain in front of him. What a pain. "Magical Strike is right. You're too lazy and probably never worked a day in your life. Go home and realize life isn't all fun and games, little master. Magical poof."

"Is that all you've got, Strike Fairy?" The young man grinned at him.

Arthur narrowed his eyes. Was this supposed to happen? According to Francis, the guy should have been ashamed and had his ego damaged. Then, Magical Strike would tell the fairy to cast another verbal spell on him to hurt his pride, and then Francis would suggest that he go home, declare that the villain was defeated, and save the party. And _then_ Arthur could drink as much as he wanted. Wasn't _that_ what was supposed to have happened?

"Is that a challenge?" Arthur asked instead, ignoring the questions floating around indignantly inside his head. He could feel a bit of his old self resurfacing, prompting him to accept it. The company president's son kept his eyes locked on his own.

"What if it is?" The young man- he couldn't be older than he or Francis- didn't stop smiling, a challenging lilt to his voice. "Do you have other tricks up your sleeve?" Arthur looked back at Magical Strike who was smiling and nodding at him to continue, as if nothing about this was out of script. Arthur rolled his eyes. If they wanted to skip the scene where Magical Strike was supposed to talk, that was fine. It was faster this way anyway. He walked reluctantly to the boy, holding out his wand. "With the power invested in me, I declare-"

"Strike Fairy!" Francis suddenly shouted into his speaker. "Watch out! I forgot there was a hole right there!"

Arthur stumbled despite how slow he had been walking, because of the speaker, not because of the hole. He'd already noticed there was a hole and was simply going to go past it, but no, now he was going to slip and land a bruise on his bottom!

 _Why did the bloody frog have to shout?!_ He thought miserably as he felt himself falling, glaring at the wand in his hands. Why did he come to the party in the first place?

Arthur was seriously expecting to hit the cool grass and feel the ground smushed against his face, when warm arms enclosed around him and he felt himself being pulled back into a dip, one foot hanging in the air. He hadn't hit the ground at all. "Looks like I've captured you, Strike Fairy. I thought you were supposed to defeat me?" his savior said to him, smirking. Arthur wanted to tell him to put him down immediately, but couldn't find it in himself to do so. Up close, he couldn't really... focus on the awful attire. In fact, it was getting increasingly hard to focus on anything besides the bright, innoccent eyes and the tingling traveling up his spine, stemming from the hand on his back.

"A shocking development has happened!" Francis shouted into the speaker again. "It seems Strike Fairy has captured the villain's heart after the villain has saved him! What a bold and sneaky move, Strike Fairy! Good technique!"

 _Idiot Francis_! Arthur thought, but he still couldn't get his brain to send messages to his body and _move away_ already. His captor didn't let him go either. Still holding Arthur, he said to the audience, "Since I rescued Strike Fairy from the fall though, that makes me a hero! Wouldn't you say so?"

"Strike Fairy has turned the arrogant villain into a hero; now everyone can rest assured that he won't get rid of our vacations or terrorize everyone!" Francis announced, completely unbothered that the little skit had mostly not been according to plan.

The partygoers didn't seem too bothered either, since they were giving a standing ovation. Someone even whooped once.

"Thank you, thank you," Francis said, taking it all in. "Remember that we will need to work hard and defeat those in our way of getting higher wages for our hard work. And please enjoy the rest of your evening!"

The crowd was dispersing, mostly going back to the house but some came back to talk to Francis.

"Hey, let me down," Arthur muttered to the company president's son, who was still holding him in the dip. The tingling was still there, but it was fading away, enugh to let Arthur concentrate.

"Oops, right, kinda forgot about that," He said, letting go of Arthur. "You okay, man?"

Arthur nodded stiffly, still trying to orient himself.

A woman approached them, talking to Francis. "That was unexpected, Francis," she said. "Magical Strike's performance is as flawless as ever, but I really do like the part where the Strike Fairy seduces the villain."

She looked at Arthur and giggled. "I can see how too."

Francis winked at her. "You're welcome to see more performances in the future, Mariana," he told her. "Big brother will definitely still be flawless." At this Arthur snorted.

As she walked away, someone else took her place.

"Hm. That was a rather comedic play. You could've charged everyone to see it too," A tall man said.

"How like you to suggest that, Lars," Francis laughed.

Arthur rolled his eyes. Typical Lars and his money making schemes.

"Ah- I almost forgot to introduce to you the villain off the show tonight," Francis said, slapping his cheek. "This is Alfred, the company president's son. I'm not sure why he's at my party though."

Alfred laughed, the sound exactly the same as the one he'd given on stage. "Mom told me to attend in his place at your party since she couldn't come, remember?"

"Ah, that's right." Francis said, although his face showed no recollection of being told that.

Lars nodded, unfazed by the fact that he'd met a son of his superior's and went back to join the other guests in the house.

Arthur finally had the chance to lecture Francis. "'What a bold and sneaky move', huh Francis? A hole that's there for no reason in your yard?! This was _not_ what I agreed to." he complained. "And why did you have to yell?

"Ha ha! I think it was pretty awesome. Next time though, I want to be the hero! It'll be even more awesome that way!" Alfred said, flashing Arthur a thumbs up. "Don't you think?"

Francis nodded. "Everyone did love the play, no matter how you look at it."

"Now I want to stay at the party even more! It rocks!" Alfred pumped his fist in the air.

Francis gulped visibly. He looked at Alfred. "Could I borrow Arthur for _just_ a second?"

"Of course!"

Francis dragged an unwilling and still fuming Arthur away and whispered, "Do you think you can distract Alfred? He seems to get along with you."

"I just came here so I wouldn't have to see you in that idiotic dress, Francis," Arthur muttered back. "And I went along with your stupid play. I don't want to hang out with an overbearing teenager the rest of the night!"

"Why not? You used to have quite a lot of energy when we were in high school! What happened to those punk days?"

"Do _not_ bring that up."

"My point is; we failed to drive him away. Lars might not be bothered by him, but he'll work everyone else up telling them he's the company president's son. And then there will be no party and no wine!"

"...Fine," Arthur grumbled, although he wasn't sure where wine fit into all this. To think that he was stuck with an overly energetic kid for the rest of the night was bad enough. But to also have to distract him enough so he wouldn't ruin Francis's precious party? "I better not see Magical Strike for at least a month, Francis."

"Yes, yes," Francis said, patting Arthur's back, returning to Alfred. "As the host, I'll be busy. You two enjoy your evening too, okay?"

"Definitely! I'll make this party bring the house down!" Alfred answered, pumping his fist in the air again.

"Yes, do that." Francis shot Arthur a hopeful look before he hurried back to the direction of his house. Music was playing and the host seemed eager to join in the fun. What a pity he couldn't hang out with an uninvited guest.

Arthur sighed. "Come on, let's go and sit in a corner for the rest of the night while you tell me all about your fulfilling life," he suggested to Alfred. No doubt this person was the type who would want to talk about all the things that made his life as wonderful as himself.

He was already making his way towards the house before he noticed that Alfred wasn't following him. Instead, he just stood there, looking at him. Arthur stared back. Did the guy not hear him? He waved his hand in front of the young man's face. "Er, if you don't like that idea, we could discuss about uh…" He tried to wrack his frazzled mind for a subject that they could talk about. Maybe cats? Or pizza toppings?

"Dude." Alfred said suddenly, surprising Arthur, who promptly snatched his hand away. "I wanted to say this before, but...

"Dang, those eyebrows are _thick._ Is your nickname Caterpillar Brows? It would really suit you!"

Caterpillar Brows? Something in Arthur snapped. Maybe it was the strain from the evening or maybe it was because he hadn't had time to read a good mystery book (that doubled as a romance novel too) before he had to go to the stinking party, but he forgot that he was not supposed to scold someone who could potentially get him fired without any trouble.

"Listen, _punk_ , my eyebrows are perfectly fine, and I have a propername. Do remember in the future that I despise any nicknames, and _no_ , I am certainly not called 'Caterpillar Brows'". Arthur snapped before he could stop himself.

"Whoa there, someone's touchy, huh." Alfred said, his grin not fading from sight. "Okay, Eyebrows, your eyebrows are perfectly fine. I'm surprised no one calls you that though, since they're so noticeable."

"How rude can you get?" Arthur grumbled, trying to refrain from smacking the boy and undoubtedly getting fired the next day. He wanted to retort and say something about the other's fashion choices but decided against it.

"Is that a challenge?" Alfred quirked an eyebrow teasingly at him, still grinning.

Arthur turned his back on him, walking towards the house.

"Hey," Alfred called, catching up to him. "You weren't going to ditch me, were you? You're the one who wanted to sit in a corner and listen to my life story."

"I'm probably just going to hear how you're a hero this and hero that." Arthur replied back. "Did you actually come because Mrs. Matthews told you to attend in her place, or did you come to ruin everyone else's fun?"

"Who are you saying ruins fun? Fun is my middle name!" Alfred complained. "And I did come because my mom suggested it. Plus, I had nothing better to do for the time being."

"Why did Mrs. Matthews ever think it was a good idea for you to attend? This is a party for hardworking adults." Arthur said. He added in a much lower tone, "Wasn't she worried about Francis putting out alcohol?"

Alfred had answer for that. "She knows I wouldn't touch that stuff. Coke is so much better! And I'm 18! That's totally mature!"

Arthur stopped walking and let his shoulders fall.

They were not going to get along. This was not going to be a pleasant night. He blamed Francis.

* * *

"Hey."

Arthur knew that voice. Even though he'd only heard it last night, it cut right through him and he recognized it immediately. It was the voice of that guy that prevented him from drinking in front of an adolescent. Dreading on seeing the inevitable, Arthur turned his head upwards as slowly as he could.

And as he had suspected, a grinning face with bright eyes framed by glasses was right over him. And of course the same star was still there, and so was the overcoat.

"How come you're wearing glasses? You didn't have them on at the party."

"What are you doing here?" Arthur asked back cautiously. He would be prepared this time if he got another remark about his eyebrows. "And if you must know, I wear glasses to keep up a reputation at work."

Alfred didn't stop smiling as if he didn't notice the edge in the salary man's voice. "Francis told me you worked in this office when I came to check out my mom's workplace. He just told me, and I thought it'd be cool if I stopped by. Besides, I've got nothing better to do."

"Shouldn't you be studying for a test or something?"

"It's summer break, dude," Alfred said, running his finger along the frame of the picture on Arthur's desk. "As much as I love my majors, I want to chillax for now."

Arthur was slightly surprised. This kid attended university? Maybe he wasn't that stupid, like he acted after all.

Still.

" _You_ may not have anything to do, but I am up to my neck with work today," Arthur said back, slipping his eyes back to the screen in front of him. On top of the usual deals he was in charge of, he also had to handle complaints. The only good part of it all was that there was nothing regarding Magical Strike. At least, anything addressing banana peels didn't sound like the it was related at all. Francis had kept to his part of the bargain, but did he really have to tell Alfred where Arthur worked? He turned around and glared at the Frenchman across from him, who had started whistling as he typed on his computer.

"Hey, you have a cat?" Alfred asked excitedly, looking down at the picture frame he had taken into his hands.

"Wha-? Yeah. His name is Ukitty." Distracted a second time, Arthur looked away from his work. "He's a-"

"Scottish Fold." Alfred smiled at the picture. "I know."

Arthur blinked. His image of Alfred as an uneducated and spoiled brat with no etiquette was slowly cracking bit by bit. Minus the etiquette part.

"What, surprised that I'm smart, Arthur?" Alfred smirked. "I've wanted a cat or dog or a capybara, but because of college, the closest I can get, is learning about them. You must be really attached to Ukitty to have a picture of him on your desk huh?"

"W-well, you can call it that." Arthur said. "Ukitty gets grumpy sometimes but he's a really sweet cat. He knows whenever I'm tired and he nudges me to my bed. You should see how he wakes me up everyday-"Arthur snapped his mouth shut, realizing how he _should_ have dealt with the report of someone tossing _banana_ peels in the offices rather than rambling off to Alfred of all people. His connection to Ukitty though couldn't be helped, as he really did love that silly, clever, absolutely _wonderful_ cat that he could call his. He genuinely did feel bad for Alfred when he'd told him he couldn't have a cat.

"Yeah." Alfred agreed, undeterred by his sudden closure. "I'd like to see that."

Arthur scrolled down the page on his screen, barely reading anything. "Anyway, put Ukitty back onto my desk and go do something else. Talking with me is a waste of time for both of us."

"I disagree." Arthur heard Alfred set down the photo and move from his spot in front of his desk. "You're really interesting to talk to, even if you're kinda uptight."

Arthur flushed slightly, aware that his coworkers could hear everything. Especially Francis, who had stopped his whistling and seemed to be intently eavesdropping. How Arthur knew? He could see him _smirking_ from the corner of his eye.

By now, Alfred was right next to him, bent slightly with his hand resting on the desk. "We really should-"

 _"_ Alfred."

A woman in a ponytail stood royally in front of Arthur's aisle, holding a clipboard in one hand. Glasses were displayed across her sharp eyes and her suit had not a flaw in it. The company president. Everyone tried their best not to peek out of their cubicles at her.

Alfred just raised an arm to wave at her. "Hi, Mom!"

The woman nodded at him. "I heard that you've come to visit me, Alfred. Magical Stri- er, Francis said that you were headed this way. Are you bothering Mr. Kirkland in his work?"

"Nope," Alfred said cheerfully, making Arthur grimace. The woman didn't look angry but Arthur didn't think she was too pleased to see her son leaning over an employee either. Arthur grimaced. "I was curious what the workers do here so I came to see what Arthur does. What does the…" He looked at a sign posted on the exit of the room Arthur's cubicle was located in. It was in French. "Person of that position do?"

His mother raised an eyebrow at him, and then turned to Arthur. "Mr. Kirkland, I see you've met my son Alfred. He's not giving you too much trouble I hope."

Arthur shook his head. _Not enough to kill me,_ he thought.

"That's good. This is sudden, but there's a subject I'd like to discuss, so if you're not too busy, meet me at 2 in my office tomorrow." Mrs. Matthews said. Arthur nodded, not knowing what to do otherwise under the scrutiny of the older woman. "Yes ," Arthur replied. he could talk to her about Francis's proposal tomorrow instead of after work then.

She looked back at Alfred. "If you are truly going to maintain your grades at Cornell, you should be studying even during the break, Alfred, and do get rid of that coat sometime, will you? Since you came here, today you'll be studying under me. In my office.."

She walked out the door, brisk and with purpose.

To the direction of the break room where coffee was constantly available. "Well, you heard the lady," Alfred said playfully. "I'll see you later at lunch break, 'kay Arthur? See ya!"

With that, he disappeared behind the door; much like his mother did, though he didn't head for the coffee-bearing break room.

Arthur was left behind with too many questions he wanted to ask that he couldn't seem to brush aside. Alfred went to an Ivy League School? What was he doing looking for Arthur in the first place? What was he going to say?

Something was nagging at the back of his mind, and it made him want to talk to Alfred again. He grew annoyed, thinking it was because he couldn't lecture the boy about being cocky.

Arthur stared glumly at the computer in front of him, not knowing where his train of thought had been left at. _Darn that boy._


	3. Chapter 3: Intentions!

Magical Strike Au Chapter 3: **_Intentions!_**

Arthur had no intentions of staying at his desk for lunch break. It wasn't an order from his superiors and his pride certainly wouldn't allow him to listen to a teen, even if he did go to an Ivy League school.

So when the big hand stopped at 3 and the little hand at 2, his lunch break, Arthur rose out of his seat and headed for the breakroom refrigerator, where he'd stored today's tuna salad, and also where he was staying for the rest of his break.

Alfred had almost spiraled completely out of his head as he munched on a tomato in silence, sitting alone yet again. France had run off to bug some poor girl in Accounts. What was her name? Joan? Jeanne? Jenny? Normally, he'd be sitting alone in his work space to avoid the frog even if he didn't have a date, but today wasn't completely normal.

Arthur wondered what Mrs. Williams could possibly want to talk to him about. If she wanted to fire him, she would've done so then and there, without wasting time inviting him to her office.

Alfred crept back into his head slowly, surreptiously, but surely. He speared another piece of lettuce. A boy he'd just met yesterday wouldn't stop bothering him, and wanted to… see him? Become friends with him perhaps? He wasn't that much younger and maybe if they became friends, Alfred would stop being so rude. And didn't France say something about making new friends? He'd show the frog that he could make friends too!

It was because Francis was his _only_ friend that their relationship was unbreakable. Now that he thought about it, he'd tried making new friends back when he was much younger, but somehow he'd still ended up alone. He could remember an exchange student named Miguel, but they didn't stay in contact. He wasn't able to keep any friends. Except for that frog who couldn't stop his braggart habits! He'd teased him throughout elementary school, middle school, _and_ high school that he actually had friends! Now that he thought about it, could they even be counted as friends?!

Arthur stood up abruptly, practically growling. Lars, who was sitting across and away from him merely grunted at this agressive behavior, and muttered, "Good job playing a fairy, Kirkland."

As Arthur walked away, ignoring his comment, another employee raised her eyebrows at Kirkland. He recognized her. She had the tendency to talk about her fellow colleagues behind their backs, as Arthur had overheard her once before. Even Francis stayed away from her, despite being the horrific flirt that he was.

He ignored her too, marching with his salad and all back to his desk.

And sitting in his seat, messing around on his computer was the very same person who'd wanted to see him during lunch break.

Arthur nearly dropped the salad in his hands. No matter who it was, they should not be snooping around on his computer.

"What are you doing?" Arthur quietly yelled, noticing the handful of workers still in their seats, walking quickly towards the startled American.

Alfred looked up at him and cheerfully greeted him. "Hey Arthur! I got tired of waiting for you, so I wanted to see what you do all da- ack, hey!"

Arthur had pulled Alfred's chair- _his chair_ \- away and was now looking at the computer screen surveying for any damage. "You better not have done anything!"

"Chill out, I was only looking at what you do. I wasn't lying when I said I was curious. The way you write is so stiff and formal, yunno? By the way, I answered an email for you."

At this, Arthur's attention snapped back to Alfred. This kid's way of speaking was annoying enough already; it must be something terrible in its writing form as well. "What. Did you do. To the email?"

Alfred put his hands up in front of him, as if trying to calm Arthur down. "The guy was asking about a meeting with my mom-your boss- about a new patent design he has that could decrease our material costs for our touchscreen stuff? So I just told him he should call to meet with the department head instead of emailing you! It's easy!"

Arthur groaned. It wasn't a bad response; he probably would have said something like that himself. But that didn't excuse him from the fact that Alfred was messing with something that wasn't his to mess with.  
"Never," he said venomously, facing the adolescent in front of him. He didn't even look ashamed, with those wide eyes blinking at him innocently! _"Ever_ come to my office again. In fact, please do go away and don't come within a ten feet radius of me." HIs fists were clenched at his sides, staring down at Alfred. It didn't feel right, like yelling at a lion and expecting it not to retaliate.

Alfred raised an eyebrow at him, and Arthur silently cursed himself, forgetting yet again that this was the company president's son. If Alfred told Mrs. Williams what he'd just told him… Arthur pushed the thought away, his pride not allowing him to break his glare.

"Wow," Alfred breathed, instead of getting angry. "I didn't think you'd get mad. Look, I'm sorry about that, but you have to admit it was a decent response."

The tightness in Arthur loosened a little at those words. This unexpected behavior unnerved him, but it cleared his head anyway. He rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "I apologize for my rude behavior too; it is quite unsightly. However, please don't go through my work in the future. Weren't you supposed to be with Mrs. Williams?"

"Yeah, Mom was trying to get me familiarized with how she runs the company. She was like you about all the formal stuff, and totally grounded it into me."

"That's to be expected," Arthur said, still rubbing his forehead and calming himself down. "We're professionals after all. Now, may I please have my seat back?"

"When you tell me why you weren't here at the time of your lunch break, sure." Alfred replied. He didn't budge from the chair.

"First, I'd like to say that I had no obligation to meet with you, Alfred, and second of all how would you my lunch schedule anyway? Was it Francis?" Arthur didn't know which question worried him more.

Alfred twiddled his thumbs, thinking of an answer. Or an- _swers_. He was taking too long though, and this did nothing to lessen Arthur's irritation.

"Well, Arthur," the younger man finally said. "First of all, I think you're a cool person to hang out with, even if you do get angry easily. And something tells me you're not just the uptight salaryman you seem to be." Arthur was about to argue with that groundless statement, no matter how accurate and core-striking it was. His past wasn't always clean-cut and professional. This spoiled son of his boss probably didn't realize the extent of his words, and it was better to lead him away from entertaining that idea and pursuing it further.

Alfred continued, unfazed by the annoyed tug at Arthur's lips. "Second of all, no, I've been here before and I know the lunch schedule." He paused. "And third of all, did you know that was the first time you said my name?"

Was it? Arthur couldn't remember if he'd actually never let it pass his lips, but what difference did it make? They didn't need to be on such a friendly basis.

"Do you really have so little to do that you're practically stalking an employee?" Arthur asked, keeping the venom in check. "If you want, I'm sure there are quite a few who would be more than happy to know they've caught the attention of the company president's son." Like the gossip girl, for example. He put a hand on the chair territorially. "Now please give me my seat back. Emails are not the only thing I do on here."

Alfred still didn't move. Instead, he tilted his head to the salad container on the desk. "You're still on lunch break though, Arthur. And I'm not stalking you; I just like talking to you! Is it wrong that I just want to talk?"

Arthur ignored the flattering connotations in the comment, but he couldn't quite argue that yes, he was still on lunch break. "Like I said, there are plenty of other employees outside you can talk to. You'll find that their company is much more suitable for you than that of an 'uptight salaryman'. I already told you what you wanted to hear out of me, so may I please have my seat back? You did say you would, _Alfred_."

"You'll have to finish your lunch first," Alfred said, eyes smiling merrily.

"Don't change the conditions!" Arthur snapped.

"But you'll just work and ignore me. Besides, you probably won't eat your lunch anyway. No offense Arthur, but you seem like the type who would neglect eating." He trailed his eyes down Arthur's waist to his hips and to his legs. Then he frowned at the salad. "Can that even be called lunch?"

"Of course it can." Arthur refrained from adding, 'You prick'.

"Not everyone can afford to eat like royalty, you do realize?"

"Quadruple cheeseburgers sound good, don't they? I had a few a couple hours ago. I could bring some for ya if you want." Alfred then had the gall to _wink_ at him. "I'll bet you've never eaten one of _those_ beauties before."

"No, they sound awful! I don't see how anyone could eat junk like that." _Especially more than one of it in the same day._ To be fair, Arthur didn't mind the taste of a meat patty put between buns, but four of them?

"Man, you have no idea what you're missing out on," Alfred sighed dejectedly. "Anyway, finish up, dude!"

Arthur gave up trying to reclaim his chair and instead, pulled Francis's seat to his own desk. The tuna didn't look too appetizing anymore. As he ate it anyway, the silence that followed after didn't seem natural, since Alfred was such a loud bloke. Arthur glanced up and saw him watching him curiously. "Is there something you'd like to say?"

Alfred shook his head, flashing him a brilliant smile. "Nah! Just wondering why you act like a troublesome person is all!"

 _Disrespectful git!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Arthur sat back in his bathtub, reveling in the comfortable slosh of water. A cat sat perched on the sink facing the bathtub, delicately grooming itself.

Arthur smiled fondly at the Scottish fold, who had somehow sensed his bad mood as soon as he had come home (Alfred hadn't left him alone after lunch, even though he had gotten his chair back). Ukitty had then proceeded to follow him to the bathroom, tail half up in a curious arc.

"Someone said they want to see you, 'Kitty," Arthur said to his cat. "What do you think?"

Ukitty stayed silent, but he flicked his tail.

"No, it's not the vet."

The feline stayed still, as if waiting for Arthur to elaborate.

"It's this bloke at work. Except he doesn't even work there, and it'd be a mess if he were allowed to. He's an idiot, but he's not as stupid as he makes himself to be. I've never met anyone who knew what capybara was." Arthur paused, musing.

"Meooow."

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just…" Arthur stared at a tile on the bathroom floor. "He's just… like an overly energetic four-year-old."

"Meaaa."

"If you're asking whether or not you'll like him… maybe? Or maybe you won't." Arthur slipped deeper into the water, frowning. "I certainly don't"

The Scottish fold sat primly on the counter, looking at Arthur, and meowed once.

"Why?" Arthur repeated, assuming that was what Ukitty was saying. He just kept on looking at him. "Well, he's impossibly annoying. He can't tell when someone doesn't like him, and he's an idiot. Well, he's a smart idiot." The man glanced at his cat. "Does that make sense?"

"Meow."

Arthur sighed softly. "I suppose not. He really seems to like cats though and he'll probably spoil you even more than I do, given his lack of sense. He doesn't seem like a bad person; at least he hasn't done anything. He won't stop bugging me, and his choice of clothing is almost as bad as the frog's."

Ukitty jumped down from the sink, moving closer to the bathtub.

"He stole my chair and wouldn't give it back until I finished eating! And he even said he was going to visit me again tomorrow! Isn't he just horrible?"

Ukitty came closer, and Arthur almost thought he saw an amused glint in his green eyes.

Yes, yes Alfred was definitely horrible.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Arthur smoothed down his pinstriped suit and tried to calm himself down enough on the inside as he raised his knuckles to knock on his boss's door.

He knocked on the wood once, twice, thrice, and waited. A voice called out behind it. "Come in Arthur!"

Arthur turned the doorknob and pushed in, and closed it again. smiled at him behind her desk, ponytail pushed back and clothes as impeccable as always. The neatness just made Arthur wonder how her son could be so different. Mrs. Williams had to be pretty lenient to let the future company president dye his hair purple (even if it was just a small, somewhat appealing streak) and tattoo a star on his cheek. It was a tattoo right?

He should've asked Alfred earlier, who true to his word, had came by again. He later sent Arthur off with a "Don't worry dude, Mom just wants to talk to you about something!" Which, wasn't helpful, considering Alfred already seemed to know what his mother was going to tell him.

"Have a seat, Arthur," She said, gesturing to the chairs in front of her. Unlike his own office, this one was filled with more furniture.

Arthur obliged, seating himself down.

Mrs. Williams gave him another smile before she spoke. "Your work ethics are quite admirable from what I've seen. I've also been told by our branch in England that you complete all work accurately and on time."

"I have been told that," Arthur agreed, feeling a sense of pride blooming in his chest, although he had also started to worry that she was going to praise him before she fired him. But why bother with it?

"You also seem to be able to get along with Alfred quite well," she continued.

The remark startled Arthur. What made her think he and the twit got along _well_? And what did that have to do with anything anyway?

"You've traveled all the way here to keep Magi-Francis in line. On top of that, with the usual assignments of your department and overtime, I believe you do need a little easier of a job, because you see, we really can't afford to let you go right now, even if you do need some vacation time." She pushed a sheet of paper on her desk towards him.

"This will be your new schedule for the rest of the summer; at the end of it, you'll get a very well deserved paid vacation to America."

"P-pardon?"

She smiled. "That's right, a paid vacation to America for two weeks. Originally you were supposed to have gone with Lars, but he requested to go to the Netherlands, so you'll be going on your own. Until then, I look forward to you giving your all for our company."

Arthur stared at her. He'd been in the company for barely over a year, and he was getting a vacation? To America? That was quite a surprise.

"Thank you," he said. "I really don't know what to say."

Mrs. Williams smiled at him again. "As long as you continue working hard as you are, I believe you more than deserve vacations like this once in a while. If you take a look at your schedule, you'll notice that your hours have stayed the same but will be spent in different locations."

Different locations. If he had his own personal schedule instead of having to consult the schedules posted in every department, where exactly was he working? He looked at the paper in his hands which just told him that he was supposed to report to Room 238. He looked up, confused. "Where exactly am I working at?"

"You'll be sharing an office with Alfred. You'll still have your usual work, but it'll only be for half the day. The other half will be spent familiarizing Alfred with the company. My secretary will send you the instructions tomorrow morning. So by tomorrow morning, please have your work supplies moved to Room 238."

Arthur felt his face pale. Alfred said he was going to see him everyday already. If they were going to share an office, it'd be like babysitting a three-year old ifor a third of the day. Sod that, it _was_ babysitting a three-year-old for eight hours.

Arthur liked little kids, but he was past the age of babysitting.

"Er, I just work in the Patents department. Surely there are more qualified employees who could guide Alfred in... his... job?" Arthur asked hopefully, trying to wiggle out of the sudden work shift without coming off as rude.

Mrs. Williams shook her immaculate head. "You're very good at keeping people in control, which is why we called on you to help us with Magical Strike. You were able to calm him down and work amiably where I couldn't. And as much as I'd like to be the one to shape Alfred into the businessman I want him to become, my work schedule is too hectic, and changes unpredictably."

Alfred bit his lip internally. It was only because of his deep hatred for the bearded Frenchman and their history together that he could keep him somewhat in line. Plus the fact that they'd made a deal and Francis had to keep his side of it.

"Also, Alfred has personally requested for you," his boss continued, interrupting his thoughts. She leaned forward slightly, blue eyes that looked almost exactly like her son's staring penetratingly at Arthur. "Arthur, I'm going to say this as mother. Despite Alfred's sweetness, his happy-go-lucky attitude and smiles, it is hard for him to actually get close enough to someone. Nor does he usually pay this much attention to anyone outside our family. Alfred's smarter than his cheerful antics suggest, so if he saw something in you, I trust him and I trust you to guide him through work he's not used too. Having graduated from Oxford with a clean record and several degrees, even without your work ethics here, I believe you can execute this assignment flawlessly."

The thin salaryman gulped, unable to break his gaze from . "I understand." And he did. It was difficult for him to get close to someone too, if his history was show enough. But he and Alfred were completely different, so why was it hard for him to get close to someone; with his bright smiles and cheerful self?

Mrs. Williams smiled in approval. "I look forward to seeing a more business-oriented Alfred by the end of the summer, then." Her tone softened and she finally slid her eyes off of Arthur's. "And a more open Alfred..."

Arthur didn't hear the last part, thinking over what he'd just agreed to. So this was it. He was stuck with Alfred for the next few months in ways he hadn't expected. If Alfred really was "sweet" like Mrs. Williams had dubbed him, he wouldn't have minded, but that wasn't the Alfred he knew. But then, how much did he actually know about him anyway? He knew him for two days, compared to his boss's 18 years with her son. _Maybe 18 years drove her insane_ , Arthur thought wrly to himself, knowing he was wrong. Becoming his tutor probably wouldn't be so bad after all. But it was only because he was curious though! He wanted to see for himself if Alfred was 'sweet'. That was it.

The company president smiled softly at Arthur's disappearing back. She was tempted to say, "Call me Lisa instead!" but didn't. If her hunch was right (she was always right), then she'd have a wonderful son-in-law in the future, someone who could tap into the pieces of Alfred even she couldn't reach. Perhaps it was too soon to call the shots though.

She called her secretary and had her arrange a three-day business trip to Bordeaux.

* * *

Author's Notes- If you haven't already guessed it, Lars is Netherlands.


	4. Chapter 4: Work!

Warning: Use of language here is sort of rated T for one word. Not bad in context; you'll see what I mean.

Chapter 4: _ **Work!**_

When Arthur reached his department's main entrance, he found that Alfred was still there, sitting in his seat, drumming his fingers against his desk. Strangely, he wasn't attempting to chat up with any of the co-workers. Probably got ignored. Or he couldn't speak French. Most everyone here could speak English easily though, but it must have been convenient to pretend otherwise.

Alfred caught sight of Arthur, face brightening. "You're finally back, Arthur!"

The loud sentence was enough to get everyone's attention, though they had been diligently typing away not more than a few seconds before. Everyone except Lars, who of course, was handling his own business without problem. One less person to stare at Arthur in accusation for the disruption then! He gave Alfred a meaningful look, hoping that he wasn't dense enough to say it was alright to keep on talking here. "Could we speak in the hallway please?"

To Arthur's relief, Alfred complied, standing up and walking with him all the way out of the room and into the hallway. Once there, Alfred leaned against the wall, his expression knowing. "So what do you think?"

"I think you could have just told me," Arthur said, crossing his arms. "And regarding this assignment, why did you have to requst for me? Do you just hate me so much that you want to bug me for as long as you can just to see how much I can take?"

"Request for you?" Alfred scrunched his nose endearingly before he slapped his forehead. "Man, Mom told you about that too?" He brought his hand down slowly down his face, catching his bottom lip before letting it descend back down to his side. Arthur's mouth twitched. Why did he have to be smart, idiotic, annoying, and so unfairly goodlooking? Next thing he knew, he'd be calling him "sweet" like Mrs. Williams.

"But it'd be good, working together. And I won't bug you, like you say I do," Alfred smiled compellingly. "Not while we're working at least."

"Do you even know what you're going to be doing?" Arthur asked.

Alfred shrugged and nodded. "Mom already showed me. Besides, if I need help, you're there aren't you?"

It was an undeniable statement, and Arthur could tell it was really just a rhetorical question. The way Alfred had phrased it though, felt like Arthur was needed. Feeling like he was needed though, Arthur had learned didn't mean he was dumped immediately afterwards.

"You two might want to cut the romance and get back to work," a snide voice came from behind them. Arthur swivelled around, startled that they weren't alone in the hall like he'd thought.

It was Gossip Girl, with her cat-framed glasses and sour expression. Rather than a girl, right now she looked more like a nagging next-door neighbor, Arthur noticed with an ill twist in his stomach. "Actually, I don't think you're even supposed to be here," Gossip Girl said to Alfred, wrinkling her nose. "You're not in the right dress code. Customer Service is at the front, downstairs."

"Actually, I'll be working here starting tomorrow." Alfred said.

Gossip Girl gave him a skeptical look. "And which department are you going to be working in?"

Arthur was about to say, "I don't see why we should hand out information like that," when Alfred beat him to the punch.

"I think, vice president trainee. At least that's what our company president told me." Alfred answered.

The expression on Gossips Girl's face changed from one of disdain to surprise. "Wait", she said holding a hand up. She squinted at Alfred. "Company president? You don't happen to be her son, do you? I guess you do have the same blue eyes, same hair but with a weird purple strip..." her expression changed again. "Whaaa- Maybe we should hang out sometime then!"

"Alright, we've wasted enough time," Arthur said, dragging Alfred away, by now thoroughly annoyed with Gossip Girl. Alfred didn't stop his hand from curling around his arm, Arthur noticed. Good, at least he didn't show any interest in this woman with a bad next-door neighbor attitude. "We've got some moving to do."

"No wait, we should at least exchange num-"

Arthur shot her a look. "Shouldn't you get back to work too?"

Gossip Girl pouted, but waved at Alfred. "What's your name?"

Alfred nodded at her. "Alfred F. Jones at your service."

Jones?

Gossip Girl giggled, missing the last part. "My name's Giana, but you can call me GiGi for short. See ya later than, Alfie!"

"Good riddance," Arthur muttered as she walked away.

Alfred chuckled. "What, were you getting jealous?"

"Of her? No thank you. Anyway, we still have to move my belongings to... our office. At least, I presume it's an office. Since you're the one who dragged me into this, you should know where it is, and help me transport my belongings there. With the two of us, we can make it without going back again to pick up anything else from my desk." Arthur then turned his back, not waiting for any words of consent from Alfred. He was the one who got him into this. If they were going to work together, they might as well start now. Without any more unexpected interruptions. These were occuring far too frequently lately for his liking.

"Aren't you gonna ask?"

Ask. Arthur paused in midstep, knowing what he meant, but to be honest, he didn't really want to know. "Ask about what? Why you have a different surname than your mom's?"

Alfred nodded.

Arthur hesitated, still not sure if he wanted to go down that path. "I-if it's not anything I should know, it's fine."

"Nah, it's nothing big. Mom's really proud of her business and ended up not changing her last name, since she created 'Williams Electronics' before she met my dad. Jones is his last name, hence my last name too."

"O-oh." Arthur mumbled. He'd been thinking Alfred would end up revealing something else, not so fortunate.

"Yeah, I just thought we should get that out of the way. Although, I'm kinda surprised you didn't ask."

"Why should I? If you were... a lovechild," Arthur blushed at his own rudeness, stomach clenching at his blatant remark. "You'd probably want to hide that."

"Your imagination runs too wild, dude,"Alfred said. "And yeah, that's why I wanted to get it out of the way, since you didn't ask. Almost everyone asks." Alfred walked in front of Arthur. Arthur could see the slight smile playing at his lips, still cheerful but still different from his usual. "Were you worried about your to-be colleague?"

"Oh, shut it," Arthur said back. "All I'm worried about is your ego."

"So mean!" Alfred complained. He opened his mouth again. "But Matt-he's my brother- doesn't take after my dad's name though. We had to keep it fair and so Mom named him Matthew Williams." Alfred looked at Arthur. "You're not weirded out, are you?"

"Compared to my family?" Arthur said, unable to keep back a smile. "No, of course not. We might not have different surnames, but everyone's unbearably insane. If we're talking about family, you'd be the one weirded out."

"Hmm." Alfred said, putting on a thinking face. "I doubt it. In fact, I don't think I'd dislike them at all. Any-way~, let's get your things and move 'em to our office, shall we? Since you're such a troublesome old person, I'll help you out!"

"And here I thought you weren't going to make a rude comment," Arthur mused. "I suppose that's too much to ask for. I should've seen it coming, considering how long you've been keeping me here."

"I am so not rude! You're just old! And you were the one who dragged me out here in the first place. Come on, let's move already."

Needless to say, moving out of the cubicle when it involved Alfred was more dramatic than need be. Arthur would have preferred making two trips compared to the stares he got, but it was too late to go back on his decision now.

"H-hey be careful while holding that- you're taking everything with you?!"

Alfred twirled with binders and papers and writing utensils in his arms. "Of course! These weigh nothing to me!"

But the next day, working with Alfred wasn't bad. Aside from showing him how to clock in and out, Arthur found that Alfred had a natural knack for figuring things out and putting together pieces of various laptops. That was their first assignment; start overseeing the manufacturing department. After consulting the papers Mrs. Williams had given him, Arthur found that there was another vice president around and that he could ask him if he had any questions. It made sense really, not to leave the company in the hands of a novice and Arthur himself while she was gone.

But Alfred was able to piece together everything from cell phones to televisions through blueprints and short hands-on explanations from nearby employees, who had already been informed of Alfred. worked fast, Arthur saw.

Alfred actually spoke a bit of French, courtesy of his mother. Alfred explained that he was majoring in aerospace mechanics as well as business so "Learning stuff like that isn't tough." In fact, he seemed to prefer that to sitting at his desk and looking over papers, which Arthur mostly handled even after he showed him how to deal with different kinds of messages. It wasn't hard, since it wasn't actually work that the vice president was supposed to do, but more a dabble at the different fields. probably knew that training Alfred to handle work like that would require training from her and herself only.

The next two weeks went by in this fashion, each week spent in a different department. Mrs. Williams's directions were very clear on how she wanted the work to be done. Speaking of Mrs. Williams, Arthur decided to talk to her anyway about what Francis had told him. It took some contemplating since Francis hadn't quite kept his side of the first bargain, but Arthur decided that it would be better on his conscience and possibly his colleagues if he talked to her. Surprisingly, she'd listened and said she would consider it.

With his work schedule, the slightly irritated feeling he felt whenever he saw Alfred faded into ease and then actual friendship. He didn't feel the tingling he'd been faced with at the home party, although sometimes he would get a little... nervous when Alfred looked at him. Inexplicably so. But their friendship was definite. It still didn't mean that Alfred had stopped his ridiculous teasing, or his love for fast food, but he did finally stop wearing that overcoat. The suit was much more preferred, and if Arthur did say so himself, it actually fit him well.

The structure of the company though wasn't the only thing Arthur learned more about. Learning about his only office mate was kind of inevitable. In fact, finding out the reason behind Alfred's different surname was one of many things he had come to know about since they started working with each other.

The child, man, (manchild?) had an obsession with superheroes, particularly Superman, a love for the unhealthy, particularly ice cream, had a fear of snakes, particularly cobras. And that star on his cheek? Disappeared along with the overcoat, since it was a temporary tattoo. When Arthur asked why he would ever put a tattoo however temporary on his face or why dye his hair only partially purple, Alfred answered with a casual, "I wanted to try something new. But Matt would freak out if I actually got purple hair and Mom will probably never talk to me again if I got an actual tattoo."

Arthur himself also ended up giving away facts about himself. Alfred learned how Arthur had only gotten Ukitty shortly after starting his job as a salaryman, and that he'd been smitten ever since. Ukitty had only been a kitten then, from a yard sale not far from Arthur's apartment where a boy had to give away his kittens. Seeing the sign, Arthur had decided to go and get a kitten too, but he had been too late, and the orange and white drop-eared kitty was the only one left. Alfred listened with rapt attention, as Arthur declared that it didn't matter anyway, since the cat stole his heart immediately and the tiny creature reminded him of his home country. "Is that where you got the name Ukitty?"

Having talked about his life was why Alfred had attempted to make Arthur tea one morning. It was cold, and way too sweet. When did he ever say he wanted iced tea? So after he went to make it himself, he found that it was a much too money consuming Darjeeling tea. He'd recognized the brand name. Arthur scoffed at it and scolded Alfred for buying it, saying it was overrated and probably wasn't worth it, even if it was made the right way. Alfred had only brushed it off and appeared the next morning with more of the tea boxes on Arthur's joint desk. Arthur accepted it gingerly, bewildered by this behavior.

He'd tried to give Alfred some scones in thanks but that hadn't ended well. The younger man had spat out one and Arthur didn' speak to him the entire day. Alfred had then choked down the rest of the scones (which looked deceivingly normal), trying to appease Arthur. The older softened at this also bewildering behavior, dropping the silent treatment, but told Alfred it was only because he wasn't getting any work done by himself. The second time Arthur came in with baked goods, it was truffles, and that Alfred had absolutely loved. Arthur bloomed with pride the entire time, not even chiding the American for stuffing each piece into his mouth in rapid succession.

When he was making each of those pieces, Ukitty had stuck around the kitchen, watching Arthur, questioning exactly who he was baking for and why he was even touching the kitchen right after the day he'd made a mess of flour. His master wasn't very good at cooking, but things that smelled like this did happen now and then. Except Arthur usually didn't smile and hum when he did made those things.

Arthur just patted him with a sweet-smelling hand and said, "I'm just thanking Alfred for the tea, since he didn't like the scones."

The Scottish Fold had turned to look at the cartons of tea on the counter and meowed at Arthur, rubbing his legs.

"It's not like I think he's a nice person or anything. Or that he's a really good friend. And I'm certainly not interested in seeing him more!"

Ukitty swished his tail and let out a low purr.

"Oh, go away, you," Arthur said not unkindly, splashing Ukitty a bit with water. The cat didn't move away, purring smugly. Water didn't bother him at all; his master would have to try harder to stop him from teasing.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Okay, maybe just a little. Like as small as a fairy's sneeze. He's too weird not to be intriguing."

He shoved whatever was on the counter into the oven next to it. "Maybe you wouldn't hate meeting him after all.

Ukitty meowed again, and this time Arthur couldn't tell what the usually grumpy cat was trying to convey.

Alfred was like an overgrown child. Like his older brothers. had been right about the considerate part. Alfred was sweet like one, but nicer in other ways due to his age. For the life of him, Arthur couldn't figure out why Alfred had eaten the scones just to please him. It was almost like he was the child in this scenario.

"Maybe when I leave, I'll introduce him to you."

"Mee-oww".

"No, I'm not bringing him home, even for you!"

And so the two weeks passed by without too much annoyance, to Arthur's pleasant surprise. Of course, that only applied to Alfred. Gossip Girl or whatever her name was, tried to meet up with them whenever they were on break. Arthur noticed with a twisted pleasure that Alfred's obliviousness might just be good in some cases, since Gossip Girl's ministrations were always shut down without him noticing. Mrs. Williams came by too sometimes, always greeting them with a smile. The way she smiled fondly at her son, Arthur could understand, but not when the president turned his way like that too. She'd even invited him to dinner sometimes, but Arthur declined them all. He really needed more time with his cat. She was disappointed but gave him her address, telling him that he could come over at anytime. Alfred agreed.

Sometimes, he passed by Francis on his way back to the office. Sometimes the Frenchman asked him out for a drink later, which Arthur denied. Sometimes he was walking with the same woman Arthur had learned was named Jeanne, surprising him that Francis hadn't moved on to another woman. This time, the Frenchman whistled, asking, "Where are you headed off to looking so smug?"

"Away from you," Arthur had replied. "Are you doing well?"

"Now that you're gone, certainly. I heard from Gigi that you and Alfred have been working together. And that you two might be up to something other than work behind that door, hmm?" Francis wiggled his eyebrows at Arthur, siddling up next to him.

"Figured it would be my turn sooner or later. I'm surprised it took this long," Arthur said.

"What, that you've finally become a little romantic?" Francis asked, putting a hand on his hip. "At long last."

"No, frog, I mean GiGi or Gossip Girl or whatever her name is, would come around to talk about anyone and everyone in this company." Arthur glared at him but not really, glad to see not a single pink ribbon. "And no, there is nothing but a purely business relationship between Alfred and I... and friendship perhaps."

The on-hiatus Magical Strike laughed. "Call it what you want, love by any other name would be just as sweet, d'accord? And GiGi, or Gossip Girl as you've so graciously called her, seems bitter about it..."

"Don't rip off of Shakepeare! And I told you-"

"Yes, yes" Francis said, waving a hand and walking away. He turned to look at Arthur as if adding an afterthought. "Big brother's just glad you've finally found another friend." His expression turned mischievous. "But who knows what that certain friendship might just turn into? Bon chance, Arthur!"

"For the last time, we are and will just be on a strictly platonic relationship, Francis! And you are not my big brother'!" Arthur huffed and went back to where he was heading to. Compared to his actual brothers, Arthur wasn't sure who infuriated him the most. And then there was Alfred.

Francis smiled. "Can you really say that when you've already seduced him?" He shook his head patronizingly at nothing in particular. "We should go drinking sometime! It's been awhile!" He called out, but Arthur had already disappeared.

Alfred glanced up from his desk, pen in hand. "That bathroom break took awhile. Were you constipated? I wouldn't be surprised since it's you."

"No, unfortunately for you, I was actually stopped by the lovely Magical Strike on my way back." Arthur shut the door gently, trudging back to his chair.

"What, and that's why you took so long?" Alfred stamped a paper, pushing it aside. "You should think about me more; it's so boring without you here."

Arthur snorted. "I was gone for ten minutes and you say you're bored? There should be plenty of things for you to get done."

"I have no one to talk to though!" Alfred whined. "While you take so long to enjoy yourself."

"I wasn't enjoying myself! And," Arthur took a closer look at the piece of paper in Alfred's hands. "That's in French, why are you answering that? Why is this in here in the first place?"

"I've learned French," Alfred said. "Although, I'm not really good at it. Some words like the department names I still don't understand, but I thought you already knew I could speak it!"

Arthur smirked. "Vraiment?"

"Ouais. Est-ce que tu me-crois maintenant?

"Impressive. I know you know some French from the basic conversations you've had with our co-workers, but I didn't expect this from you," Arthur said. Alfred never failed to show him something he didn't expect.

"Heh, yeah. When I ordered a coke at a restaurant here, the waiter just stared at me before he started laughing. Turns out that what I ordered was cocaine. Language, man."

"Language indeed. Nice going there, Alfred." Arthur snorted, sorting through his collection of pens.

"Hey it's not like you haven't made a mistake before."

"Fair enough."

An amiable silence took over the office for a few minutes before Alfred broke it. "Are you free this Saturday?"

"This Saturday? Yes, I was planning on spending the day with Ukitty. Why?"

"Perfect timing then! I was just going to say that you still haven't introduced me to Ukitty and maybe it would be a good time this Saturday."

Arthur blinked, finger hitting the screenshot button by accident. He looked at his partner, still blinking slowly. "You mean you-"

"Yup! I want to hang out with you and your cat on Saturday. That's fine with you right? All objections will be overruled!" Alfred flashed him a wink, with a one sided grin. "Come on Arthur. I've never met your cat and I never get to see you."

"You see me everyday for eight hours, dummy." Arthur chided him. "And we go to that fast food restaurant you love so much everyday after work."

"Yeah, but I never got to see you on the weekend. You kinda disappear after we leave."

"I have to go home sometime!"

"So you should let me come with this Saturday. Come on Arthur, please?" Alfred didn't flash him puppy eyes. Nor did he pout. But still his earnest expression was undeniable as Arthur tried to think of a reason why not. Sadly, he couldn't couldn't think of any. He didn't mind seeing Alfred and Ukitty seemed to want to meet Alfred too. Not that he was ever going to tell Alfred. Otherwise he'd have to explain why he was talking about him. Plus, who knew how much his ego could inflate.

"You'll get tired of me."

"Too late for that."

"You!" Arthur sputtered, pressing the screenshot button again.

Alfred gave him a cheeky smile and brushed his hair back, fingers lingering on the purple streak. "I'm saying there's no way that'll happen. Like I told you before, I really do think you're interesting. And you have a cat! Come on, pleeeeease? Pleeeeeeeeeease. I'll even bring a movie!"

Arthur deflated, sighing. "Fine. But if Ukitty hates you or ignores you, don't expect me to help."

"You say that, but in the end you'll help me anyway."

"What makes you so sure about that?! Argh, we've wasted enough time, get back to work already!

Alfred saluted him. "Aye aye captain, I'll see you at one tomorrow. And don't worry, Ukitty won't do either of those things. I'm too loveable."

"I'm sure."

Arthur missed the smile on Alfred's face.

When Arthur got home that evening, Alfred had tried to come with, after chauferring Arthur to his home, since he wouldn't let him go on the metro.

Arthur declined and warned his cat about Alfred's coming. He'd bristled up, getting to grooming right away. "Tss." Arthur tsked at him, getting the wet cat food. It was true they didn't get much company unless his family decided to visit him, but to go this far for a stranger... Ukitty didn't like going near strangers whenever he was brought to the veterinary office.

"No need to get so worked up, 'Kitty," he assured his cat. "Alfred's really not one to care about appearances. It explains a lot too."

His cat paused in his incessant grooming for just a moment, staring at Arthur. Then he went right back to licking his paws.

Arthur shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'm just saying that you needn't get yourself so worked up." He went to straighten his already impeccable living room, wiping away dust that Ukitty could't see. Or sense for that matter. And his master said he was getting worked up.

Saturday came by rather quickly and found Arthur nervous. Was it for a good reason? No. Did he wake up too late? No. Did he forget to give his cat the weekly obstacle course set up with the cardboard boxes? Of course not!

"He's a co-worker," Arthur reassured himself. "And I hid the tea so it's okay."

He glanced at the clock soundlessly changing its digits. There was still some time left.

He set his laptop on his lap, checking his emails.

It was halfway through one of his brothers' messages that Ukitty's ears perked up and a pounding sounded at the door. Arthur set his laptop aside, sliding to his feet quickly. "That might be him. He's early." He peeked through the peep hole before opening the door. "Hey." Alfred said, standing on his doorsteps. He was wearing a T-shirt, Arthur noticed. His tattoo had completely worn off by now, and the purple was starting to fade too. The look wasn't bad though.

"Hey yourself. Come in."

Alfred walked in and Arthur closed the door quietly behind him.

"Uh, make youself at home and-"

"This place is so much neater than my room," Alfred remarked before his eyes landed on Ukitty. "Wait, is that- is that who I think he is?"

"I'm not surprised. And yes, this is Ukitty."

The feline watched him cautiously, sitting in a corner. Arthur raised an eyebrow. Just yesterday, he was busily grooming himself for this meeting. He cleared his throat. "Er, this is Alfred, Ukitty. It's alright to come closer."

Alfred put his DVD on the sofa and then kneeled down, one hand outstretched. "Come on, little guy. Arthur trusts me, yunno. And you're even cuter than the photo of you!"

Ukitty began walking to him, touching his nose to his hand when he got close enough. Alfred waited a few more moments before moving his hand up to rub his head. Arthur watched the two. It was strange to see Ukitty and Alfred getting to know each other in this way. Alfred was much more nice than when he and Arthur had met. His mouth twitched in annoyance at the memory. His eyebrows were perfectly fine, albeit a little thicker than how everyone else's were.

His laptop suddenly beeped with a message. Alfred was too busy petting Ukitty to look up, and Arthur reached over to get the laptop carefully to shut it off. Before he could do so though, he saw that he had an incoming chat was coming up. And that Seamus was the one sending it. Arthur hesitated with his mouse on the decline button before he took it off. Seamus was more bearable than the other clowns, and it had been awhile since they had talked. Besides, if he didn't answer, Seamus was likely to worry and tell his other brothers, and then THEY would come and bother him. He might as well tell him he would chat later instead of just ignoring it. Arthur carefully walked around Alfred, taking his device with him to the kitchen that was connected to the living room, unseparated by any door or wall.

The message said it was from Seamus. It wasn't wrong, but it wasn't entirely right either. When he had accepted the video chat, he found that it wasn't just the strawberry blond, mild-tempered older sibling with him but three elder brothers staring through the screen. Oh no.

"Hiya, Arthur!" The vivid red-head of the three said to him. "We thought it might be nice to talk to you together like this."

"'We as in you and Seamus," the brunette of the group complained. "But I suppose it's not bad talking like this." He glared at the screen. "How come you haven't videochatted any of us?"

"We were all worried," Seamus added. "Owain was worried too."

"If you were lonely, you could've talked to us, dear brother."

Arthur groaned. How was he going to tell them he was only expecting Seamus and then tell them he needed to go? Seamus might let him go, but the other two would question why.

"Listen, I really do not want to talk with you guys right now," Arthur muttered to the laptop screen portraying his brothers. He glanced over his shoulders, making sure to turn the laptop slightly to a side whilst he did so. Alfred was still playing with Ukitty, who had opened up considerably, rubbing hi cheeks on Alfred's arm. Good, they were still distracted.

"Aw, why not?" The bright red head said, crossing his arms. "Wait," he craned to see over Arthur's shoulder. "Who is that? Is that a hand I see? Last time I checked, your cat didn't have a hand. Is there someone ther-"

The brunette on his left butted in sharply. "There shouldn't be anyone at your house. Who's there? Show yourself!"

"Now now, Owain," the orange haired, mellow-faced male on the right said. "Calm down. Maybe Arthur has a friend over."

"Arthur doesn't have friends." Owain said matter-of-factly.

"True," the red -head said thoughtfully. "I'll vouch for it too. Are you going to argue with that, Seamus?"

Seamus cast down his eyes. "Jack, let's not bring this up right now."

"Nice talking to you all," Arthur said, glaring back at the screen. "Now, if you don't mind, I really must go. As you can see, I have company over. You bunch can torture me later."

Owain narrowed his eyes, then pushed Seamus out of the way, peeking closer, trying to catch a glimpse of the unaware man behind Arthur. "It's not that Francis person is it?! Arthur I'll kill you if you brought him home. You better stay away from that guy!"

"Keep your voice down, Owain." Arthur hissed. "And it's not Francis, even I have enough sense-"

"Stay away from who?" Alfred said , coming to Arthur's corner, carrying Ukitty on his shoulder. Arthur choked at the sight of his cat on such a place. He set the laptop down on the counter, before gripping Alfred's wrists. "You didn't manhandled Ukitty up there, did you?"

"Dude, your cat was the one who jumped on me after I said he could ride on my shoulders. Of course I didn't manhandle him!"

"Really... Is that so, 'Kitty?" Ukitty purred lowly, eyes narrowing in sleepy slits, kneading his claws in Alfred's T-shirt.

"So who were you talking to? Francis?"

"Why do both of you think I'm talking to Francis? Honestly!"

Before Arthur could fully comprehend the situation and prevent his colleague and his brothers from meeting, he remembered where he'd set the laptop. And why his brothers had become strangely silent.

"Well, that's definitely not Francis," Jack remarked, hand on chin.

Alfred looked back at the screen, and gave it a big smile.

"Hey there. You know, you all kinda look like Arthur, with those eyebrows. My name's Alfred by the way. I'm a friend of Arthur's." Alfred gave the screen a friendly smile.

Arthur looked in horror at the laptop to where his brothers were all looking at Alfred in awe, very much ignoring the eyebrow comment.

"Arthur-"

"has-"

"A friend?"

Jack cleared his throat. "Well, hello there, Alfred. We called to talk to Arthur over there. We didn't know he'd have... someone over."

"You better not have any ulterior motives." Owain muttered. "Like someone I know."

"Owain's just worried about Arthur. But you seem like a nice guy so he's assured." Seamus piped up.

"I wasn't worried! Arthur's such a baby that he can't take care of himself properly."

"Okay, you've met Alfred, now could you all please go away?" Arthur said exasperatedly.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "What, did you want some alone time with Prince Charming over here?" He cocked his head at Alfred in question. "You don't happen to be Arthur's boyfriend do you? No wonder he's so embarrased. Aw, Arthur, no need to hide this from us!"

"We won't make fun of you Arthur. It's only good!" Seamus added

"Where did you- Alfred's a friend! A co-worker!" Arthur protested to deaf ears.

"A boyfriend?" Owain shoved a side of his face at the screen, one eye appearing bigger than the other. This face didn't scare Alfred away however as he watched the exchange with a very amused expression. He looked like he was having fun, Arthur thought miserably. And here he was trying to stave off his brothers' overly wild fabrications. "What did you do to Arthur and what are you planning to do? He never has any friends, let alone boyfriends. Well?"

"Uh... I drive him home everyday? And we're going to watch a movie today?" Alfred said, giving an easy smile.

Owain blinked, then backed his face away from the screen. "Well... I guess that's okay."

"And I hate to break it you guys, but I'm really just a friend of you guys' brother- you guys are brothers right?"

"He's the youngest." Seamus said to him. "And Owain's right, Arthur is the baby."

"Alright, you guys have met Alfred, nice talking to you, seriously, I'll see you guys later, OKAY?" Arthur said, still trying to separate Alfred from his brothers. Before they revealed anything.

"All right we'll get ourselves out of ya hair, 'kay?" Jack said. "It really was nice meeting you Alfred."

"Take care of him, got it?"

"We look forward to seeing you again!"

"Is that Arthur?" A new voice, sounding much younger appeared behind the screen. "Even if he's a total jerk, I want to talk to him!"

"You have another brother?" Alfred asked Arthur, beam not going anywhere. "That's awesome."

"Well..." Arthur winced. Awesome wasn't the right word.

"Not now Peter, Arthur wants some alone time with his newfound lover. Have fun over there." Jack winked at the screen, and all three of the men in front of the screen disappeared but not before the top half of a new, boyish face with sandy blond hair appeared in view.

Arthur reached to the laptop, and shut it with a satisfying thud. Fun was the last thing he described his situation. He peeked at Alfred, as if quietly daring him to make any comments. Alfred only smiled, but not the teasing kind Arthur was looking for.

"I wasn't kidding when I said they were terrible." Arthur grumbled. He moved over to pet his cat, who was still sitting atop of Alfred.

Alfred shook his head. "No, I think they're awesome. They also seem really fond of you too." He moved to sit down next to Arthur, Putting Ukitty in between them.

"If you mean they will do anything to get in my way, then yes, yes are."

Alfred relaxed into the cushions, slinging an arm across the sofa. "No, they really look like they love you. But I wonder where they got the idea that I was your... lover."

Arthur stiffened around the final word, realizing how close Alfred's outstretched arm was. He inched forward, away from it, trying to look inconspicuous about it.

"They're just them. Idiots."

"They're really different from Matt."

"Your brother? Well, you're a lucky bloke then!"

Alfred's eyes became a little far away, as he described his brother. "Not in a bad way though. You remember I told you he's younger and more quiet right? He always thinks about other people's feelings before taking action. Everyone loves him."

"Yes," Arthur agreed. "I like him already just from your description. "He's not a chatterbox like you."

"Yeah... Hey!" Alfred pouted. "What, you don't like me?"

"I never said that!"

Both Ukitty and Alfred stared him accusingly. Arthur gulped. It wasn't fair that Alfred had brought even his cat to his side. His brothers all liked Alfred, and for them all to agree on something was pretty rare. Ukitty had taken an almost immediate liking to him, also pretty much nonexistent. Matthew sounded like a good person, but so was Alfred, from the three weeks he's been spending with him. Alfred was likeable, even if he was too bold and reckless around most people.

Heck, Arthur liked him. Liked... him. Arthur slapped himself internally, not liking where his train of thought was going.

"So is it a yes or a no?"

Arthur's consciousness snapped up, to find Alfred had leaned in still glaring at him accusingly, teasingly, with Ukitty between them. The cat meowed twice, lying against Arthur's sleeve.

"That's not..." Arthut made the mistake of looking dead on into Alfred's eyes, like he'd done at the party. The tingling came back again, the same as the one that had first appeared at Francis's home party.

"Well?" Alfred breathed out.

Ukitty looked up at the two humans perplexfully, then jumped down from the sofa to avoid being squashed between them. His furry head looked elegantly up at them, questioning why they were both staring at each other so intensely. They weren't frozen, were they?

"I don't hate you." Arthur murmured, head drawn inexplicably inwards. "I don't think anyone's capable of that."

"Then, you do like me?"

Ukitty realized with a sudden epiphany that this must be one of the scenes from the movies Arthur sometimes watched. It looked very similar to the ones where the humans would bring their heads together and look connected.

"You're not a bad... friend," Arthur said, staring at his lips. Alfred wasn't a bad friend. Of course not. What was he doing, leaning so close towards a friend? He reached out a hand, reaching for the face that was still staring at his.

"Gah!" Arthur let out, propelling his arms forward and backpedalling into his end of the sofa. What exactly was he about to do?! Alfred was a friend, he shouldn't be trying to do whatever his mind was telling him to do!

"Arthur?" Alfred looked at him quizzically. His eyes widened. " Oh sorry, that... uh... well that was weird."

Arthur shook his head, feeling a dreadful heat beginning to spread over his cheeks and an unpleasant pounding in his chest, making it slightly difficult to breathe comfortably. "You shouldn't be the one apologizing, I don't, I'm sorry-" he stood up rapidly, eager to put some space between him and Alfred, and almost stepping on ukitty. The feline quickly jumped out of his way, tail arched in the air.

They stared at each other in awkward silence. Arthur could still feel that horrid blush on his face and to his surprise, there was some color coming to Alfred's own. It went nicely with his "ehh..." look which was also taking hold of his face. The sight of this usually unfazed man looking so lost and flustered was too much for Arthur to handle and he couldn't hold back a smile wobbling at his mouth, despite his racing heart.

Alfred snorted shaking his head, breaking the silence. "You have no idea how weird you look right now. What's with that weird attempt at a smile?"

"I'm laughing at you," Arthur's grin widened. "I didn't know you could make a face like that. I think it suits you."

"Being embarrassed? How the heck does that even- you know, you make that face too! Like the time you accepted the tea I got you!"

Arthur's smile disappeared, remembering that the same brand of tea was hidden somewhere in his cupboards. the fourth one on the bottom, under the sink.

"Speaking of it, where did it go?" Alfred peered to the kitchen. "I remember getting you a few boxes of it.

"Yes you did, you dolt. That's too reckless, to buy something so expensive!" Arthur said. "Hey-where are you going?"

Alfred had begun to move to the direction of the kitchen. He paused in midmotioin, arms swinging at his sides. "To see if you still have them of course."

Arthur blushed.

"Ah there's that face again!"Alfred laughed, poking Arthur's cheek. Arthur gripped Alfred's hand and pushed his arm away from the kitchen and to the sofa. "O-of course I have them, you idiot. It's a waste to throw away such expensive things. Now go sit down. Play your movie or something."

"Now, I'll go make some tea." Arthur pushed Alfred towards Ukitty.

"No coffee or coke?"

"No."

"Then at least use the tea I got you, will you Arthur?" Alfred called.

Arthur rolled his eyes. Spoiled brat. "Fine," He said back.

"And I want some of the chocolate you made before too!"

Arthur hummed a tune of his favorite English tune as he bustled about in the kitchen, making the tea and chocolates Alfred had wanted. Later on he found out that Alfred had brought a horror movie. At the end of it, he couldn't pull Alfred off of him. His cat didn't help either, having fallen asleep.

"It's not even dark out, Alfred." Arthur tried to reason with him. "Nothing's going to come out and throw blood at you." His arm was snuggled pleasantly in Alfred's own arms. Arthur slapped himself mentally for the umpteenth time that day. His arm was starting to go numb, that was all.

Alfred looked at the digital clock on the table. "It's five though. It'll be dark in a few hours."

"Enough time for you to go home, and have a sleepover in your brother's room. He should come over too sometime..."

Alfred shook his head. "He's in Canada for the summer at some ice hockey camp. I g-guess I could maybe ask Mom to? No, that's no good."

Arthur sighed through his nose. "Look," he said patting Alfred's back. "You're eighteen. You should be more of a hero than a child, Alfred."

"N-nineteen."

"What?"

"I'll be n-nineteen soon."

"Oh." Arthur said, surprised. "When?"

"July 4th. You should come at 6. It lasts all the way until 10 and you know where I live, so no excuses." Alfred clinged on Arthur's arm tighter and Arthur felt a pang in his shook it off- the pang, not Alfred's arm- and kept on rubbing Alfred's back soothingly. "Nineteen then. All the more reason to stop being so scared of the monsters behind the screen. Okay Alfred?"

"If you c-come to my birthday party then, maybe I'll believe you. And I'm not scared!"

Arthur paused in his movements and just looked at Alfred. "What are you majoring in again?"

"Aerospace engineering and business."

"I honestly don't know how you can do those and still manage to make such horrible logic. How is my going to your birthday party going to make you 'believe' that no monsters are going to come out?"

"It will."

"Fine," Arthur agreed helplessly. "Are you less scared now?"

"I told you I'm not! And... I think it worked."

Alfred gave him a shaky grin, and Arthur smiled back reassuringly. Alfred still didn't let go of his arm.

Author's notes: What Alfred said about the coke, was inspired by my French teacher. When visiting his French family, he made the same mistake. (`_`); He's still a super cool teacher though!

Bon chance-Good luck

Vraiment-Really

Est-ce que tu me crois maintenant- Do you believe me now

Owain is Wales, Seamus is Northen Ireland, and Jack is Scotland, in case my interpretations of them don't match up to yours. This is kind of my headcanon of them based on their expressions Himaruya drew, although Scotland is probably a little meaner than how I portrayed him here.

As for Ukitty not being bothered by the water Arthur tossed his way, it's not unnatural. Scottish Folds actually like water.

The tea Arthur's talking about is the Silver Tips Imperial Tea; the tea leaves are picked under a full moon and has a slightly silver appearance to it. Although ranked 9th in most expensive teas in the world, it is the most Darjeeling tea (from Darjeeling, India).

I don't know how this chapter ended up so long. Honestly, I thought I'd keep each chapter after the first at around 3.5 K, but here we are with more than double the planned amount. it felt wrong to split it in half though, since I'm glad to see Arthur transitioning from being simply annoyed at Alfred to becoming friends and having a little playdate in the same chapter. In a review, devixenrox85 caught quite a few mistakes on here so I had to revise this chapter again. What's strange is that everywhere I'd written "Mrs. Williams" disappeared and left a gapping space that made no sense. I realize now that there should be a space between the period and "Williams". Sighs.


	5. Chapter 5: Preparations!

Chapter 5: _ **Preparations**_

After Alfred had left (with some convincing that there would be no monster hiding in the car), Arthur had sunk back down into the sofa. The spot where Alfred had been sitting was still very warm, and he didn't bother moving away from it. Rather, the warmth felt pleasant despite the summer heat.

Today had been... fun. An adjective he didn't think he'd use very often, after he'd gotten this job. Aside from the incident with his brothers today- he winced; they would tease him mercilessly later on- he didn't mind if all his Saturdays were like this.

He smiled down just as Ukitty was opening his green eyes, looking sleepily at Arthur. He proceeded to move closer, turning his head around.

"If you're lookinng for Alfred, he already left," Arthur said gently, smoothing the fur around Ukitty's ears. "While you were sleeping."

Ukitty meowed disappointedly.

"I'm taking that you really liked Alfred then?" Arthur asked. "I think... I think I rather enjoyed his company too. Maybe we should bring him over again sometime for another movie. Of course, it'd have to be something other than a horror."

Ukitty let out a barely audible purr, batting at Arthur's hand lightly as it slipped away.

"You know, I bet it's because of Alfred that you've become even more spoiled."

The pampered cat didn't answer, just closed his eyes and continued purring. Arthur let his back sink into the sofa. "July 4th. It's an interesting birth date. And to think it's only a week away! He really should've mentioned it earlier. I only have so much time to get a present after all. July 4th..."

He placed his free hand over his chest, feeling the thrumming of his pulse. "Why does it feel so strange here?"

His cat nudged his side playfully. "Meow~"

Arthur semi-glared at his cat. "It's not what you think, you silly cat. It's more like... something feels off? I don't know how to say myself."

"..."

The cat brought his attention away from the gentle hand and tilted his lop-eared head to the slightly frowning man. Sorrow wasn't something he'd seen often on him. Unless Arthur was reading one of those books. Then he would spend a whilie drying his tears and ruffling up his Ukitty's fur (which he'd have to spend an hour fixing) endlessly before falling asleep. But he wasn't reading a book now, and that was concerning.

Arthur rolled his shoulders and sighed. "Maybe I'm just tired." He hopped up from the sofa, beckoning to his Scottish fold. "Let's go for a stroll then, shall we?"

After a moment of consideration, Ukitty jumped off the sofa and headed for the door. Arthur chuckled. "A stroll it shall be then. It's good to get some fresh air."

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"Er. Hello," Arthur said to his brother through the laptop screen.

"Well, Arthur," Seamus chirped back, smiling. "It's good to see you again."

A certain subject had been tugging at Arthur's mind, and he couldn't decide what to do with it. And so he ended up calling up his brother. One whose face he really missed.

"Uh, yes..." Arthur said. he noticed the mug in Seamus's hand. Knowing Seamus, it was most likely a mug of cream. Out of the five of them, Seamus had the most notorious sweet tooth. "Are Jack and the other two around?"

Seamus shook his head. "They left a while ago. Peter wanted icecream, so Owain and Jack left with Mum and Dad."

Well, wasn't this for some eyebrow raising.

Something was wrong if Seamus hadn't gone with the others to whatever icecream shop Peter fancied. Especially since they finally got together for a reunion. Without Arthur (he'd been called to Paris and didn't have time to go back).

"So why haven't you gone with them rather then sitting at home and just eating... that?" Arthur asked. Seamus stirred the inside of his cup before scooping out, as Arthur had suspected, thick cream.

"Oh, I had a feeling someone would be calling for me. And I was right." His brother chomped down on the spoon he was holding, before setting it aside with a gentle clink.

The other furrowed his eyebrows, laying back into his pillows.

"Well, you were right, Seamus," Arthur said, eyebrows still drawn. "I... I do want to talk." About something you hopefully didn't see ahead of time too, he thought silently.

Seamus's eyes crinkled into a softer smile. "It's not often we can sit and talk face to face, is it? It's a pity you can't be here with us, you know. You still haven't seen how much Peter's grown. Dad's starting to bald too. Anyway, what did you have on your mind?"

Arthur paused again. He'd wanted to ask Seamus on a sudden impulse awhile back, but now it didn't feel like it was such a fine idea anymore. But Seamus _was_ the only one of his brothers that listened to something from beginning to end without interrupting him with a, "You idiot!"

And thus, he began.

"I was wondering what one might get a... _friend_ for their birthday," he stated, wincing at how obvious it sounded, hoping his perceptive brother didn't pick that up. "A friend who already probably has everything in the world."

Seamus quirked up an eyebrow. "Everything in the world, hm? So Alfred's that well off? Well, Jack has nothing to worry about then. But then that makes getting Alfred something that much harder, huh."

Arthur gaped at his brother. "No one said anything about Alfred, Seamus! And why would Jack worry?"

Seamus shrugged. "Jack and Owain get anxious thinking you might go out with someone who'll just waste your money and time." He savored the taste of the cream in his mouth before continuing. "If you ever did. We do worry about it now and then. Knowing you, you'd be so attached, you'll just turn a blind eye on whatever they do."

"Seamus! Fine, I _am_ talking about Alfred, and yeah, he's well off! But we're not going out!" Honestly, it was probably Owain who brainwashed his level-headed brother to believe something like that. And here, he'd only wanted to ask what Seamus might suggest as a gift. To a _friend_.

Seamus sighed audibly. "I don't know... What does he like? What makes him happy? Have you known each other long enough to really think about what he might like, Arthur?" At the last question, Arthur could see the slight smirk playing at his brother's lips.

"... What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, if he's someone you really care about, it's probably harder to get a present for him. You spend a month every year worrying your head off on what to get us anyway."

"This and that are completely-"

"Nope." Seamus interrupted him gently. "They're not. Even if you weren't dating, he's a friend." He paused. "He's your friend. Friend. Now that's something I'll have to get used to saying."

Arthur sighed. "Yeah, yeah, and all that. Just tell me what you would get Alfred. Come on Seamus, don't tease me. The whole reason why I'm asking is because I don't know myself."

Seamus chuckled and smiled at his little brother through the screen. "Just reflect back to all the time you've spent together. If worst comes to worst, just ask him what he wants."

"I can't do that!" Arthur protested. "What if he asks for something impossible like, like a giant robot superhero or something?"

"It'll be fine. Like I said, that's only if it comes to the worst, Arthur."

"Seamus!" Someone shouted from downstairs. "We got you something!"

Seamus glanced at his door and back at Arthur. "Guess they're back. Want to say hello?

Arthur looked at the alarm clock next to him. It was a litle after 8. Even if he wanted to get some sleep like Ukitty next to him, he nodded to Seamus anyway. He hadn't gotten a clear answer from Seamus yet, and besides, he didn't want to give up a chance to see his parents.

As it turned out, Peter had apparently grown two centimeters taller, to his clear delight. He still retained his childishness, Arthur noticed fondly.

And his father really was balding.

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"For me?" Alfred asked, delighted.

"I'm not asking anyone else," Arthur said dryly.

Throughout the weekend, Arthur really couldn't think of anything to get Alfred. Seamus was no help either. He originally wanted to get Alfred comics, but then he remembered this was France and who knew how long it would take before he got a copy of something in English. He then thought about getting him some sort of rare video game, but again, this was France. And he had no idea where to get vintage video games anyway. For some reason, he felt a twinge of annoyance directed at Francis. The salaryman had thought of a few more options, all of which he decidedly rejected.

And here he was, on their lunch break, asking Alfred what he wanted for the Fourth of July. The other beamed, and opened his mouth to give out the death sentence. Arthur cringed, hoping he wouldn't ask for a diamond encrusted car, or the ability to fly.

"Why is Francis sitting with us too?!" Arthur grumbled, turning to glare at the Frenchman.

"Hey, Jeanne is off today, and we just happen to bump each other for lunch so ~"

"I think... I want more of your chocolate."

The salaryman blinked. So did Francis. "What?" They asked in unison, surprise evident in both voiced.

Alfred winked at Arthur, which would've sent the salaryman more of that jittery feeling if he hadn't been so surprised. "That's right. I want more of the chocolate you made. I tried some of the chocolate here, but! I want more of the ones _you_ made."

"I always knew the company president's son was bonkers..." Francis sighed quietly. He was completely ignored.

"I-uh- That's... Of course." Arthur murmured, toying with the foil around his sandwich. "Truffles." Gaining confidence, he added, "If that's what you want... I'll add some scones too!"

Alfred shivered from head to toe, shaking his head vehemently. "Anything but that! Geez Arthur, are you trying to kill me on my birthday? I only asked for chocolate, not some poison!"

"Poison," Francis giggled loudly behind a hand. "What an accurate description."

"Do you have a death wish, frog?" Arthur retorted, temporarily forgetting the subject of Alfred's birthday. "My scones are certainly not poison!" Though they're probably pretty close to it, he thought miserably. He turned away from Alfred and Francis, sulking.

Alfred watched him for a moment, before putting down his burger. "Look Arthur, your scones are not poison, okay? I'm just kidding. Add them in with my chocolate if you want."

Arthur looked back at the blue eyes looking earnestly into his. He gradually felt bad, hearing those words from Alfred. As his senior, he really shouldn't have been sulking and had Alfred come and comfort him. Although, if he was being honest, it did feel kind of good knowing Alfred was worried about him.

"Chocolate?! Oh my gosh, I can make chocolate if you want!

Everyone turned to look across their table, in the direction of the sudden voice, and Arthur grimaced. Gossip Girl.

Alfred waved his hand, smiling apologetically. "That's okay, Gigi. You coming to my party is enough. Really."

Gigi seemed to swoon, Arthur noticed disapprovingly. This was a public place.

"That's so sweet of you to say," she said excitedly. "I'm definitely getting you chocolate!"

"No, it's okay..." Alfred turned his head, giving Arthur a smile. Gigi followed his gaze.

"I've made chocolates before, and they were all so super tasty. If someone else makes it for you..." She gave Arthur a sidelong glance. "It might not be as good. Or so I've heard."

"Ha, that's correct, ma cherie."

Arthur scowled back at her, not saying anything. Alfred was clueless, and Francis was enjoying this too much to tell him that Arthur was actually made fun of. It was fine really, being quiet. He didn't want to deal with Gossip Girl, or Gigi, or whatever, any longer.

"Oh you mean Arthur? His chocolate is the best!" Alfred beamed

Maybe not so clueless then. And WHAT?

Gigi seemed surprised too, raising her eyebrows high into her forehead. "It is?"

"Yep! It really is." Alfred smiled at Arthur again. "I love...it."

"Well," The woman stared at Arthur through doubtful eyes. "That's good."

"Of course, it's probably the only thing he can make though," Alfred added.

Arthur glared. Gossip Girl laughed.

With that, she whooshed away cat framed glasses and all, off to her own department. Where she's supposed to be, Arthur thought.

But that wasn't the only thought occupying his mind. The fact that Alfred had not only stood up for him, despite adding that snide comment he decided to ignore, and said he'd... loved his chocolate had made him an inexplicable happiness bursting inside of him. He was trying his hardest not to let it show, since it was barely a reason to celebrate. What was he, a child?

"Rude..." he mumbled, picking at his sandwich, deciding to complain about Gossip Girl. "why are you inviting her anyway?"

"First, Mom's inviting the whole company this year since I'm working here, like I told you before. And second, what's wrong with inviting Gigi?" He expression turned playful. "Did you want to keep me all to yourself?"

Arthur blushed. "Of course not! What kind of shameful things are you saying-"

"Ahem." Francis cleared his throat. The two of them ignored him, and Arthur went on to say that Alfred was being too egotistical again.

"A-HEM." Francis cleared his throat again, louder this time.

Arthur turned to him, irritated. What could Francis possibly be thinking about that was so important?

Francis smiled pleasantly at the both of them. "You guys flirt too much. Just get together already. I've been seeing sparks between you since the day Alfred played the villain, you realize?"

"Spar- you and your fantasies!" Arthur almost shouted, lowering his voice after his colleagues who had apparently heard the conversation, the women giggling behind their hands. Good thing Gossip Girl had long since disappeared.

Alfred peered at the clock. "Well, we better go. Our break's over already. See ya, Francis!"

"Au revoir then."

Alfred started to head back to the office, tugging Arthur with him. "Come on, Arthur, we have orders from the manufacturing department to look over."

"Wha! What's with the sudden load of work?"

"Come on, old man!" There was no malice in his voice, only an impatient plead.

 _Rude brat_ , Arthur thought, smiling unconsciously at the sight of Alfred's hand wrapped around his.

USUKUSUKUS

Phew. I had this incomplete in my documents for a LONG time. This turned out pretty short too. (-_-)

A few things I'd like to point out a couple of things (that I forgot to mention in previous chapters):

1.) Awhile back, in chapter 3, Alfred looked at Arthur's legs and hips. That was a sly nod to Himaruya slyly hinting our dear America likes England. In the Halloween 2011 strips, America made England wear the Robin costume from the comics(which England picked up immediately) where the legs weren't covered up while he himself wore the costume from the movie version. Now I wonder why America did that, hm? And one of America's battle strategies to "infiltrate their ranks" in one of the older strips showed him saying,"UK, I want you to put on a sexy carnival outfit and sway your hips proocatively at them." I think we can deduce that America apparently thinks England's hips are distracting.

2.) England can actually make delicious truffles! This is completely canon. It's called Himaruya's Sweets Column.


End file.
